The pre-slaughter phase for broiler chickens is a period that contains many stressors and risks for animal welfare. Understanding the factors that can lead to negative welfare outcomes is important to make improvements in broiler chicken welfare during the pre-slaughter phase.
Molecular biology is a powerful tool the poultry industry can use to better understand and ultimately control avian coccidiosis. In a presentation at the 2024 PSA meeting, Mark Jenkins, PhD, discussed the usefulness of molecular biology and improved vaccination strategies to control coccidiosis.
Controlling ILT with vaccination is critical in maintaining healthy and profitable poultry production. Nearly all long-lived poultry in the US are vaccinated against ILT.
The move to cage-free egg production has spawned a new generation of aviary systems available for hen housing. The question now is how well the new systems perform when balancing egg production and profitability with bird welfare.
More than 6 million birds have been vaccinated against avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) type B since the September rollout of the first experimental autogenous vaccine produced in the US, according to Ivan Alvarado, PhD, associate director, scientific marketing affairs, Merck Animal Health.
Lighting has emerged as one of the most powerful tools to manage and optimize layer performance. It profoundly impacts production, health and overall welfare.
Avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) is now the leading health issue facing the US turkey industry, according to a recent survey of turkey industry professionals and veterinarians representing 73% of the 218 million birds raised in the US over 12 months ending August 2024.
Coccidiosis control is important to every poultry production system, but managing the available options can be a somewhat fluid process. Although there are a range of choices, each one has its own set of pros and cons.
Posting sessions are critical to ensure that poultry health programs are on target and yielding good returns. They have their limitations, however, and can easily fall short if not set up and implemented correctly.
In the last 2 decades, strides in poultry nutrition helped build profitability for poultry producers in the US and around the world. Average US feed-conversion rates (FCR) have improved by 23 points (0.23) since 2000, according to Michael Kidd, PhD, professor in the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas.
Poultry genetics has evolved rapidly in the last 2 decades and continues to advance steadily, but research from Cargill Animal Nutrition suggests that birds’ diets need to be updated alongside genetic progress to maximize performance.
Cloacitis, or vent gleet, is chronic inflammation of a bird’s cloaca that can result in urate scalding, prolapse, weight loss, inactive ovaries and high mortality. Investigators looked at blood biomarkers to identify correlations to birds with cloacitis versus healthy birds.
